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Spirituality

Spirituality at St Richard Gwyn

“I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.”(Jn10.10) The gospel is the starting point for all that we do in our Catholic School. We aim to make St Richard Gwyn more than just a place where pupils are equipped with skills for the workplace. All who work and learn here are part of a community with a common aim.

Academic and physical successes are the product of fully formed human persons who know they are created and loved by God who gives them a purpose and place in creation. That is the aim of our spirituality. It underpins all that we stand for and all that we achieve is celebrated in the name of God who gave us the talents to achieve it.

The Second Vatican Council of The Catholic church suggested that the mission of a Catholic school was to help pupils to “ encounter the living God who is Jesus”( Gaudium et Spes 1965 ) and we try to achieve this by ensuring that Gospel Values are at the heart of our school. Integrating the values found in the Beatitudes ( Mt 5) mean that faithfulness, integrity, dignity, compassion ,humility, gentleness, truth justice, mercy, forgiveness holiness, tolerance, service and sacrifice are values that we try to engender throughout.

The spirituality of a Catholic school such as ours means that our ethos or way of living is the outward sign of the reflection of Christ and pervades all that we do. From the smile of the receptionist when you arrive and the kind word of the site manager to a new pupil lost on their first day to the thanks from senior pupils as staff give up weekends for exam help or the laughter coming from the staff room as teachers plan the next fun fundraiser. All this is as important as the crucifixes on the walls, the May procession and the whole school Mass.

The visible centre of our spirituality is the chapel, warm and welcoming at the heart of the school, and the many opportunities for students and staff to develop their faith are reflected in the very full liturgical programme both formal and informal. Daily prayer, charity, outreach to all who visit or need our help and a Christ centred curriculum which is being developed are all the ways in which St Richard Gwyn aims to carry out the command of Jesus to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, … ( Mt28)